Jockey Club helps establish citya£á?s first Institute of Integrative Medicine

09/29/2014

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for traditional Chinese medicine, leading to some patients seeking treatment from both Chinese and Western medical practitioners separately.  To accommodate the community’s demand for integrative medicine, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has donated HK$10.45 million to The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to set up the Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine, the first of its kind in the city. The Institute incorporates Chinese and Western integrative medical treatment, education and research under one roof.

Today (29 September), Club Deputy Chairman Anthony W K Chow joined Secretary for Food and Health Dr Ko Wing-man, CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Joseph Sung, Dean of Faculty of Medicine Professor Francis Chan, The Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine Director Professor Justin Wu and other guests to officiate at the opening ceremony of the Institute.

Mr Chow said the Club has funded promotion of Traditional Chinese Medicine since 1998. “We are delighted to support the establishment of the Institute, the Institute is the first of its kind jointly managed by Chinese and Western medical practitioners, offers both Traditional Chinese and integrative medical treatment, education, research and health consultation. It helps meet the needs of different patients and facilitate personnel training,” he said.

The Hong Kong Institute of Integrative Medicine comprises two major components: the East-West Research and Training Centre as the arm for research and education activities and the Integrative Medical Centre to be the service arm. The former will focus on exploring ways to apply research findings on patients in order to bring about improvement in disease treatments, as well as developing medical courses for Chinese and Western medical undergraduates, graduates and practitioners.

Located at the Prince of Wales Hospital, the 5,000-square-foot Integrative Medical Centre has eight consultation rooms and four acupuncture treatment rooms.  Currently staffed by 10 Chinese medical practitioners and family physicians providing general consultation, acupuncture and bone setting, the centre will gradually introduce different Western medical specialists to offer joint consultation to patients. Integrative medical outpatient services will be implemented in phases to tailor-make individualised treatment for patients.

A pilot scheme is underway on stroke rehabilitation, with plans to further expand the service scope to treat low back pain, gastrointestinal diseases, palliative cancer care, insomnia and mood disorder. Over 13,000 people are expected to benefit annually.

After 64-year-old Cheung Wai-ming suffered a stroke in late-June, he had partial paralysis and difficulty in swallowing. But he showed marked improvement when he received integrative stroke rehabilitation treatment under doctor’s referral. “I started receiving acupuncture treatment two months ago, supplemented with Western rehabilitation treatment. Now my situation has improved a lot and I am able to walk and eat on my own,” he said.

The medical centre will also serve as a base for clinical teaching and attachment for students pursuing Chinese Medicine studies at CUHK’s School of Chinese Medicine, and as a platform to cluster research in integrative medicine, which will facilitate development of integrative medicine in Hong Kong.

For over a decade, the Club has contributed over HK$630 million for various projects to promote the development of Chinese medicine in Hong Kong. They include the establishment of research and development laboratories for Chinese medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and a Chinese Herbs Garden of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lady MacLehose Centre.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus for charitable and community projects. In 2013/14, its donations reached a record $3.6 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,275 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$19.58 billion in 2013/14. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,800 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.